Process for the treatment of fruit for the prevention of decay



Patented Mar. 24, 1931 umran stare,

. HARRY 3-. FULTON AND JOHN J. BOWMAN, F WASEINGTQN, DISTRICT OF GQL'UMBIA success rose THE TREATMENT or mixtures ens raavan'rion or: shear N0 Drawing.

Application filed November 19, 1927. Serial lite. 234,5 i3,

(GRAHTED'U'NDER THE ACT 9? PEARCE 3, 1383; 532 L. as.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143, (22 Stat. 625)- and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its officers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any persons in the United States, without payment to us of any royalty thereon. A

This invention consists of a process of treating fresh fruit, particularly citrus fruit, with an aqueous solution of sodium aluminate,topreventstem-end rot anddecay caused by green and blue molds and other organisms. Efiective control of rots may be obtained by using sodium aluminate in con centrations ranging from about one per cent to about five per cent by weight of solution. In place of the chemically pure salt it has been found that the ordinary technical or commercial grades ofthis material can be substituted when proper allowance ismade for their degree of purity.

Treatment with this material ,controls stem-end rot caused by Phomo psis cit'm' and Dz'pZodz'a natalense's, as well as other decays such as blue-mold rot caused by Pem'oz'llimn) itaZz'cwm and'green-inold rot caused by Penicz'lZz'um digitatum.

We do not desire to limit the temperature of the treating, solution to any set temperature as various degrees from F. upward have proved effective. However, temperatures approaching 130 F. are injurious to fresh citrus fruits if exposureis at all prolonged. lhe time required for treatment with this fungicide necessary to preventdecay caused by these fungi depends to some extent upon the age and condition of the fruit. For young and vigorous Iruit, a thorough wetting of the rind, which can be done in less than'one minute, is sufficient to give eficctive control, while overripe fruit may require as much as ten minutes treatment to render the tissue of the rind resistant to the fungi,

Vie do not limit the strength of solution strictly to the proportion stated, but in general practice it has been found useful to employ a concentration within the stated range.

For practical purposes we prefer to use sodium aluminate in a 3 per cent solutionby plished by spraying, submerging, immersing,

or causing the fruit to pass through a receptacle or tank containing the solution, in sucha manner that the entire surface of the fruit is wet with the solution. The apparatus de-,

scribed by Berger, Hulrill and Hawkins in the United States Patent No. 1,599,?33 may be used for this purpose, or the machinery in ordinary use for washing fruit in citrus fruit packing houses may be used with or Without simple adaptations. v g Y The treating solution may be applied to the fruit immediatelyprior to the time of washing the fruit, during the washing process, following the washing process, or as a treatment on clean fruit without other washincin some cases'it may be advisable to spray such fruit after it leaves the treating solutionwith water, or with a relatively weak solution oi the sodium aluminate to dilute or remove the excess solution on the surface Zeasic, Pem'oillimn italicum, and Peni'ce'lliam 3. A process of treating citrus fruit with an aqueous solution of sodiuin' alumina-to containing approximately three per cent by weight or sodium aluminate at a temperature of not less than 69 F, to prevent green and blue mold decay and stem-end rot in such iruit.

4. A process of tresting fresh fruit, especially citrus fruit, with aqueous solu tion of: sodium. eluminute at temperatures below 130" F, at a concentration and for a perio l suficient to cause the fruit to become thoroughly Wet with the solutiomto prevent stem-end rot and blue-mold smi green-mold decay of such fruit.

5. A process of treating citrus fruit for the prevention. of stem-end rot and blue-mold rot or other forms of decay with an aqueous solution of sodium aluminate of suficient strength to efi'ectively retard the development of said forms of decay, at temperatures commonly used for Washing fruit causing the fruit to remain in Contact with the solution from one to ten liiiniiii-es, anti further spraying the fruit after it leaves the treating solution to remove 2, large part or substantially all of said solution from the surface of the fruit.

6., In the preparation of fresh fruit for market a process which comprises subjecting the fruit to the action of an aqueous solution ofs-odium sluminete and the subsequent removal of large part or substantially all of saidsolution from the surface of the fruit.

7. A methecl for the prevention of decay of fruits and vegeteoies consisting in the treatment of such articles with e solution comprising sodium uluzninute.

. HARRY R. FULTON. 50ml 5. BQYVMZAN.

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